


Cuddle Pile

by featheredschist



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Cuddle Pile, Fluff, Happy Tower Time AU, Kisses, M/M, Schmoop, bad missions make Avengers cuddle together, exhausted really, tired team is tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 19:11:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4403900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/featheredschist/pseuds/featheredschist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What the team does after a bad mission, to recenter, and decompress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cuddle Pile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ralkana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ralkana/gifts), [wintermute](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintermute/gifts), [sapphirescribe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphirescribe/gifts).



> Written spur of the moment based on some Twitter conversations with a few folks. You know who you are.
> 
> No specific warnings. A couple of kisses, very minor injuries.
> 
> PS - did this without really checking for errors to post it quickly. If anything reads weird, let me know!

Phil sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The most recent mission had gone badly.

The Avengers were still in Medical, and Phil was working on the first draft of the wrap-up report.

Fortunately, no one had been injured badly, but he knew that Tony had sprained an ankle, and Steve had broken a couple of fingers. Phil knew that they'd all be released within the hour.

He leaned back into the plush couch, and closed his eyes for a moment.

Next thing he knew, a calloused hand was touching his shoulder, and a firm, well muscled body was settling into his lap. "Released early, or AMA?" Phil said as the new arrival got comfortable.

"Early. Abrasions only, no strains," replied his husband, who tucked his head against Phil's shoulder.

"Good," Phil said, a pleased hum as he adjusted himself as Clint got comfortable. "And the rest?"

"Cap's fingers got set, and splinted. Barnes was glowering the whole time, but I think Doc Swanson is getting used to it. Still scares the NAs though."

"They need to be careful around him, that's all Tweety," Bucky said, as he entered the common room. He'd changed out of his body armor, and only wore a singlet and sweats.

"Medical staff is well trained, and no one has ever been accused of malpractice," Phil replied blandly, as though he'd said similar before.

"Yeah well, I intend to make sure Steve stays in one piece, if it's all the same," Bucky growled, heading for the mini fridge behind the glossy black bar. Pulling the door open, he looked for something to drink. Eventually he chose juice and water. Bucky turned back to the couch where the archer and the agent sat curled up together. "So, what next? Debrief?"

Phil looked up, and even though it was just the two heroes, he knew it was a bad idea to rehash everything from this mission. "No, we'll leave it til tomorrow, unless someone has something important to get off their chest," he said.

"Great idea," Bucky said, dropping to the carpet with a groan. "JARVIS? Can we get the usual sent up?"

"At once sir. The others are on their way," JARVIS replied perfunctorily.

Bucky was really pleased to have JARVIS around. He may not always appreciate the future, but he approved of this 'Skynet' of Stark's.

Just as Bucky was finishing off his bottle of apple juice, the elevator dinged, and the doors parted to reveal a crutch bound Stark, and an exhausted, filthy Banner. 

"Okay Bruce, I'm here," Tony murmured, swinging the aluminum crutches forward to get off the elevator.

"Go sit, then I'll go up and shower," Bruce answered, a pointed glance directed at Phil.

Phil nodded, and indicated the open half of the couch. Tony limped his way to that seat and carefully sat. Bucky put a pillow up on the table, and Tony maneuvered his splinted ankle onto the cushion.

"Thanks," Tony said to the man sitting on the floor. Bucky waved him off.

Phil looked back to Bruce, but found the elevator doors closing.

"He'll be back down, assuming he doesn't fall asleep in the bedroom," Tony answered the unspoken question.

"He did quite a bit today, on the search and rescue end," Clint said softly.

"Yeah, not something either of them like, but Hulk's the best for moving large piles of rubble," Tony admitted.

"Too often, the rescue turned into recovery this time," Clint added. Phil squeezed his husband's shoulders in comfort.

"Natural disasters are never fun to work as missions," Phil said.

"Agreed," rumbled Thor, who came to the common room from the stairs. His usual indefatigable personality had dimmed considerably since they had gotten back on the Quinjet to come home. Here, he had quickly retired to his rooms, and stripped himself of his armor. After a brief shower, he dressed for lounging and had to retreat from the oppressive silence of his rooms as soon as he was able. He joined Bucky on the floor, unashamedly leaning into the sniper's metal shoulder.

"Where are Steve and Natasha?" Bucky asked, deceptively calm and loose in his posture.

"Here, Buck," Steve said, exhaustion in the slump of his shoulders, and drag of his feet. Nastasha slipped out from behind him, trailed by a couple of Stark's bots who bore baskets full of blankets and pillows. Natasha and Steve started tossing pillows onto the floor, while the bots dropped their baskets and began to unfold various blankets.

"Clint, grab the laptop," Phil gently nudged him. Clint turned enough to reach across the small space to grab the laptop Phil had been working from. "What do we want for dinner tonight?" Phil asked those assembled, opening up a new window to pull up the saved bookmarks for their favorite delivery places.

"Everything," Bucky said from the floor, Thor still leaned up against him.

"Aye, that sounds good," Thor agreed, barely lifting his head.

The elevator dinged one more time, and Bruce reappeared, stumbling sleepily over the long cuffs of his sweats, into the common room. "Dinner?" Bruce muttered, throat still raw from Hulk's roaring.

"C'mere Bruce," Tony called from his spot on the couch. Blearily, Bruce crossed the room, and flopped down on the floor in front of Tony, leaning his head and shoulders back into Tony's knee.

"Ankle?" Bruce asked.

"Painful, but dulling."

"Pain meds?"

"Yes." Tony had reluctantly taken the meds, even if he hated how he felt on them. Bruce would otherwise keep nagging him to do so.

Bruce hummed a happy note and tilted sideways to wrap an arm around Tony's right knee in a brief hug. Tony leaned forward to ruffle the damp curls on Bruce's head in affection.

"Phil," Tony said, turning to their handler, "Just email each place, and ask for the "Avengers Specials". They'll know what to do."

Phil shrugged, "Okay, if you say so." He clicked through 4 restaurants, and quietly had JARVIS call each place to request this special. It would all be billed to Stark Industries, so they just gave out estimates on delivery.

Steve, Natasha and the bots were done arranging the pile of linens, and with brief pats to their claws, Steve sent them back to the lab.

Tony called out, "Good job", as the elevator closed on the bots. There was a brief beeping squeal as the doors closed tight, taking the bots out of sight.

"All right, are we waiting til dinner to pile? Or what?" Steve asked, settling onto a pillow he'd put near Bucky. He reached out and with some rearranging, pulled his lover into his lap. Bucky took hold of his injured and splinted hand, giving each finger a gentle kiss in apology, and benediction. Thor was left to collapse in a heap into the pillows Natasha had dropped near him. A deep, bass snore escaped from parted lips after he went horizontal, everyone cracking small smiles.

"Now sounds good," Natasha spoke up, settling down to use Thor's abs as a pillow. She grabbed a velvety beige blanket and curled up with a relieved sigh.

Steve looked around the room, and realized that yes, now was good for the pile. "Phil, please ask for a couple of SI interns to take care of the food when it gets here? I guess we'll eat after a nap." Bucky grunted happily from Steve's lap, and turned around to fish for one of the large blankets to wrap around them both. Steve scooted them over to Thor, and he fell back to the plush carpet, pulling Bucky with him with his uninjured hand. Bucky went willingly, draping them in a dark red comforter.

"Aw, not even using the Cap shield blanket," Tony groused half-heartedly. Bucky's metal hand escaped the cocoon and flipped Tony the bird.

Tony laughed, curling up into something of a ball as he could manage, the knee Bruce was leaning against pulling up and away. Bruce growled, discomfited and quite grumpy.

"Sorry Green Bean," Tony said, settling back into place.

"S'okay. Can you come down here?"

"I think so," Tony replied, swinging his leg off the coffee table in preparation to standing. "Hey Agent, Katniss, you going to join us?" Bruce stood up to help Tony maneuver around the table.

"Yes, let me write this one," Phil tried to finish the report he'd started.

"Nope, c'mon, now," Clint said, taking the laptop, and closing the lid, sending the device into sleep mode. Standing, he tossed the computer to the now empty cushion, and then extended a hand to Phil.

Phil sighed, "Guess it's not that important."

Clint shook his head. "You remove all the pointy bits from your pockets?" Phil nodded, stepping over the table, and around Steve and Thor's legs to a relatively free space. The pair quickly settled in, curled around each other.

Tony and Bruce settled near Natasha, Tony on the outer side to protect his sprained left ankle. They shared a brief kiss and Tony was neatly tucked in Bruce's arms.

Everyone easily fell asleep, safe in the knowledge that the team was together, and whole. Pepper came, escorting 2 interns who were wrangling the various food bags from the restaurants Phil had ordered from. The scent of food disturbed only Clint, who got up to help put hot things into a hot box, and cold items into the full sized fridge tucked in the nearly hidden kitchen.

"Thanks Pepper," he said, whispering so he didn't wake the two super soldiers, or Bruce.

"Not a problem. Got room for one more?" she asked, a happy twinkle in her eye.

Clint nodded, and shooed off the interns, who stood gaping slightly at the rearranged pile of passed out superheroes. They went to the pile, and Clint had to squirm a bit to get back to Phil's' side, Natasha grumbling a little as she was moved more into Bucky's lap. Pepper grabbed a pillow and blanket, and found that she could curl up near Thor, who had moved to use one of Steve's thighs as a pillow.

Hours later, Jasper Sitwell found them all tangled around, on, and under each other. He quietly giggled at the sight, and tried to find Phil.

JARVIS elected to ping Phil's earwig, knowing the agent hadn't taken that out before settling into the pile.

"Agent Sitwell, what can I do for you?" came Phil's light baritone voice from somewhere in the middle of the pile.

"Just brought an update on the further efforts of the clean up from the Pennsylvania incident," Sitwell said.

"Leave it on the counter of the kitchen pass-through, I'll get to it," Phil said. He wasn't about to disturb the slack pile of limbs around him.

"Sure," Sitwell said, suiting actions to words. "Hope they are all right?" He tentatively questioned before leaving.

"They will be, Jasper. They will be. Thanks for bringing that update. I'll call Fury later," Phil said, tone dismissive. Sitwell recognized it was time to leave, and quietly entered the elevator.

Steve cracked one eye open from Phil's right, "Do we need to get up?"

Phil shook his head, "No, all that was left was housing the ambulatory survivors and I know Sitwell and Maria called the Red Cross for that."

Steve nodded, his singular blue eye slowly closing again.

"Rest Captain, I have the watch," JARVIS intoned from above. The AI re-lowered the light levels in the room, and made sure no one else would disturb the heroes until they themselves were up and about.

They'd all stay asleep for another five hours, before getting up. Then they'd pull out the delivered food, kept hot or cold as needed, and fall onto the smorgasbord as if they'd not eaten in days.

Then maybe, maybe, they'd focus enough to debrief from the horrors they'd dealt with from a search and rescue mission gone bad. At least, they had each other.


End file.
